Implement for smoothing metal



E. G. RAFF. )M-PLEMENT FOR S'IVIOOTHING'METAL. APPLICATION FIILI'ED JULY 28. 1919.

1,844,960, Patented June 29, 1920.

V 2 SHEETS-$HEET 1.

, G. RAFF. IMPLEMENT KQR SMOOTHING METAL.

AP FLlfI ATIGN FILED JULY 23,1919. I

Patented June 29, 1920.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mnm i To all whom it may concern:

c it known that I ERNEST G. Barr, a citizen of the United tat'es, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Implements for Smoothing etal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to implements for smoothing and straightening sheet metal and is particularly adapted for use in re moving creases, dents, and the like, from sheet metal parts of' automobiles such as fenders or mudguards, without removing said parts from the machine.

eretofore, in automobile. repair shops, the practice has been to straighten the damaged sheet metal parts of automobiles such as mud-guards and the like, by removing the parts from the machine, and after heating the parts in the region of the dented or twisted portion, to restore the parts as closely as possible to their normal condition by hammering. One of the principal objections to the above described process of restoring the parts to their normal condition is the trouble, the removal and replacement of the parts of the automobile. Another objection is that the heat treatment followed by the hammering of the parts causes the enamel to crack and break off, which necessitates reenameling and also tends to elongate the metal and thus cause trouble when it is attempted to replace the parts.

he principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned dif ficulties; and it consists principally in a. portable element for removing dents, creases and the like from damaged sheet metal parts of automobiles Without removing said parts from the automobile and without materially damaging or disturbing the enamel. The invention further consists in divers attachments or tools for said implement and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described. and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Figure l is a side view of an implement embodying my invention, the implement being shown provided with tools comprising convex rollers;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 28, 1919. Serial No.

; the implement,

time and expense incident to the implement adjacent to the collar or nut in which the screw turns, the section being taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the implement loo ring at the ends of the arms to which the tools are attached;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through the section being taken adjacent to the follower-arm on the line 4% in Fig. l;

' Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the concave rollers adapted to be used with the implement;

F 1g. 6 is'an end view of the same;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the implement showing a set of tools for pressng out dents, one of said tools being in the form of a cross-arm provided 'with blocks, and the other of said tools being in the form of a button;

ig. 8 is a view showing narrow rollers having spacing washers arranged therebetween, the rollers being used for straight ening flanges; and

Fig. 9 is a side view of a modified form of implement.

The implement shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a screw .0 whose rearward end is provided with a handle portion '11. The screw, turns in the threaded bore of a cross-link in the form of a collar or nut 12 which is provided with a pair of spaced lugs 13 disposedon opposite sides thereof, the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The forward end portion of the screw is reduced and extends through a smooth bore in the middle portion of a cross-head or follower-arm l4 and is to permit the screw to turn freely around on its axis. This swivel connection between the cross-head 14 and the reduced forward end portion of the screw 10 is formed by placing washers 15 on opposite sides of the crosshead, and the cross-head is held between these Washers so as to travel with the Screw by means of a pair of lock-nuts 16 havinga pasher 17 interposed between their adjacent aces.

The follower-arm 14. extends on opposite sides of the screw 10 at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof and is provided near each end with a slot 18 which extends through the cross-head parallel with the longitudinal screw 10.

Patented June 29, 1920;

swiveled thereto so as a. 10, and extending beyond thereofare spaced arms have their inner 'end Arranged on opposite sides of the screw the forward end or levers 19, which portions 20 inclined or bent inwardly toward each other. The in- .clined portions 20 of the spaced arms exeach side of the inclined portion 20 of the respective arms 19 which extend therefrom. The inner ends of the inclined portions 20 of the arms 19 are pivotally secured to the oppositely projecting spaced pairs of lugs 13 of the collar or nut 12 by means of screw bolts 22.

The outer ends of the arms 19 are provided with alined tapered holes or sockets adapted to receive various forms of tool holders which are held therein preferably by means of thumb-screws 23.' Each of the tool holders shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings comprises a yoke or forkedmember 24 having a removably mounted convex roller 25' rotatably mounted between the forked member 24 on a pin 26, which extends through both arms of the forked member and is, held therein by means of cotter" ins. The yoke members 245 are provided with outwardly extending lugs 27 arranged These lugs.

at right angles to each other. are adapted to fit into the sockets formed in the forward end'of the lever arms 19 and are held therein by thethumb screws 23.

A concave roller 28 adapted to be mounted in the forked member 24 is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. Fig. 8 shows narrow rollers-29, which are separated by washers 30. Both of the foregoing types of rollers are adapted to be mounted with axial holes in the yoke members-2 1 and are provided for the reception of the pins 26.

Referring. to upper arm 19 is provided with a cross-arm 31 having'a lugatits middle portion which projects at right angles to its longitudinal axis. The lug of the cross-arm is adapted to be fitted into one or theother of the arms 19 of the implement. A block 32 is sleeved on each end of thecross-arm and is faced with leatheron its under face to prevent scratching of the metal. The lower arm or lever 19 is illustrated as being provided with a semi-spherical wood. or metal button- 33 having a lug or projection adapted to fit into the socket of one or the'other of the arms 19.

The arms 19, which are fulcrumed at their inner ends to the collar 12, are opened and closed by actuation of the screw 10. When turned backward, the-screw travels through the collar or nut l2and also carries with it of theinclined portions 20 of the lever arms ,19, which act as cam faces, thereby forcmg the freeends .of the arms.

.theirrespective sockets by thumb-screws. 23. a The screw 10 of the implement Fig. 7 of the drawings, the

the cross-head which is swiveled thereto.. This backward movement of the followerarm '14 causes the innermost. rollers '21 of the follower-arm to engage the inner faces 19 outwardly. When it is desired to bring the lever arms 19 of the implement together, the screw is turned so as to move through the collar or nut 12 in a forward direction; This forward movement of the screw causes the outermost rollers 21 of the follower-arm 1 4 to engage the outer faces of the alined ortions' 20 of the lever arms 19, acting after t e manner of a cam and thus forcing the free ends of the lever arms 19 together. i

Fig. 9'shows amodified form of-implement, wherein spaced lever arms 34: have their middle portions pivoted to the opposite ends ofthe cross-link 35. A screw 36 is arranged crosswise ofthe lever arms at the inner ends thereof, one end of said screw being provided with a left-handed thread which is threaded into one of the lever arms,

vided with a right-handed thread which is threaded into the other of said lever arms. Thus when the screw 36 is turned in one direction, the free ends of the lever arms 34 are brought together, and when turned in the opposite direction the free ends of the lever arms are separated. i

The operation of the implement isas follows: When it is desired to remove a large dent from a piece of sheet metal the crossarm 31 having the leather faced wooden blocks 32 is secured to one of the arms of the implement and the wooden-button 33 1s 'secured to the other of said arms. The lug of the cross-arm is "inserted in the socket of one arm and, the lugof the button 33 is inserted in the socket of the opposite arm', both' cross-arm and button being heldin ated to spread the lever arms apart to permit'the lever the work, with 19 far enough arms to straddle the button 33. engaging the apex of the dent on one side of the metal 115 the arms together and this movement is con- 1 20 tinued until the dent is more or less flattened out. After, this, the convex rollers 25 are substituted for the cross-arm 31 and button 33 and passed back and forth overthe dam- 'aged' part until the metal is rolled; out sub- .125

stantially smooth. The concave rollers' 28 may also be used, when desirable, on account a of the curvature of the metalto be rolled.

- When it is desired to remove bends, creases] or slight humps or protuberances, the roll- 130 and the other end of said screw being prov is then actui,344,eeo

ers may be usedalone, the cross-arm and button being unnecessary for this purpose. In practice, each pair of concave and convex rollers comprises a metal roller which is placed on the rough side of the metal and a wooden roller which is placed on the enamel side of the metal to prevent scratching the same.

When using the'rollers, the reach of the implement may be increased slightly by inserting the lugs 27 which project from the side of the yoke members 24 into the sockets, thus positioning the rollers forward of the ends of the lever arms instead of directly below the sockets as shown in Fig. 1.

W henit is desired to straighten flanges or straighten the metal onopposite sides of a rib. or corrugation, the narrow rollers 29 shown in Fig. 8 are used. These rollers are placed in the yokes 24 and the desired spacing is obtained by using the spacing washers 30.

The implement shown in the drawings permits of considerable modification without departing from the invention; therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact form of implement shown and described.

What I claim is: I

1. An. implement for smoothing sheet metal comprising a threaded collar, a screw working in said collar, a follower-arm arranged crosswise of said screw and having a swivel connection with one end thereof and said screw having a handle at its other end, said follower-arm having slots in its opposite ends arranged parallel with the longitudinal axis of said screw, spaced rollers in said slots and with said said lever arms being inclined toward each otherat one end and pivotally connected to said threaded collar, having alined sockets in the other ends, tools removably mounted in said sockets, said tools'compri'sing'yokes having rollers journaled therein, said rollers being positioned on the inside of said arms and arranged with their axes parallel, the inclined portion of said lever arms extending through the slots in said follower-arm and being arranged between the spaced rollers thereof whereby actuation of saidscrew causes the rollers to engage the inclined portions ofv said lever arms to open and close the same.

2. An implement for lever arms arranged parallel smoothing sheet metal comprising a nut, a screw adapted to work in said nut, a handle on the outer end of the screw, lever site sides of said screw and having their inner end portions converging and pivoted to the nut, means carried by said screwadapted to engage said lever arms, whereby actuation of said screw will cause said means to move over. the converging portions of the lever arms to open and close the same, and smoothing devices carried on said outer ends of the lever arms, said handle being in longitudinal alinement with the line of pull on the screw during movement of the implement over metal to be smoothed whereby to facilitate such operation. I

I Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 26th day of July, 1919.

ERNEST G. RAFF.

arms arranged on oppo-v screw on opposite sides thereof," 

